Top – Microsoft Windows 1.11 app: a Stranger Things-inspired trip back to 1985

Microsoft is celebrating Stranger Things season 3 in true Windows 1.0 style today. The software giant has created a Windows 1.11 app for a tie-in with Stranger Things, and it includes nostalgic apps like Paint, Write, and the original Windows cmd prompt. While the app is supposed to be set in the summer of 1985 just like the TV show, Windows 1.0 didn’t actually debut until November 1985.

Awkward dates aside, this app is designed more as a game to accompany the latest Stranger Things season. There are various glitches, thanks to the Upside Down world, and little mini 8-bit games to find clues and Easter eggs about the show. If you’re a Stranger Things fan, it’s a fun little app. But if you were hoping for a full-blown Windows 1.0 experience, then this certainly isn’t that.

If you’ve already watched the latest Stranger Things season, you’ll notice that nobody ever uses a Windows PC at any point in the episodes. However, Dustin can be seen wearing a 1985 “Camp Know Where” cap with a PC on it. This Camp Know Where is actually part of a bigger tie-in for Microsoft that will be available in the company’s retail stores. Students will be able to participate in challenges at Microsoft Stores this summer, which include a focus on coding and games.

Microsoft is also allowing people to create mini-movies with 3D models, theme music, and special effects. You’ll also be able to insert yourself into Stranger Things, thanks to Microsoft’s Mixed Reality headsets in stores.

There’s even a Stranger Things 3 Collectible Arcade Cabinet up for grabs for Xbox fans, and Microsoft is using its original corporate logo from 1985 to really amp up the nostalgia. The company even published a press release with a 1985 version attached upside down at the bottom to play into the Stranger Things vibe.

Microsoft has been teasing this promotion for a week now, and you can find all of the details about this tie-in over on Microsoft’s Stranger Things site or on the Camp Know Where page.